I  decided that since I had to put in hard points anyway, I would use a piece of plywood to widen the piece and provide the center hard points at the same time.  I cut the panel down the middle, cleaned out the area between the glass and installed a plywood panel large enough to widen the piece by a little over an inch.  I glassed over the top and bottom with a two ply bid.  I added the additional hard points and installed the anchor nuts.  Additional holes for the rudder mounting brackets shown in the photo are to allow the option of moving the pedals forward about an inch.

I also fabricated new rudder pedals from lengths of 3" by 2" aluminum angle and 1" by 1" angle.  These were cut and shapped to the desired size and riveted together.  The holes are for reducing the weight.  I will be having the steel framework chromed before final installation.

I tried out the first set of rudder pedals shown above and didn't like lack of a positive feedback when on the brakes.  I saw the above Plastic Pedal in the Aircraft Spruce Catalog and decided to give them a try.  I fabricated my own backer plate and mounting from simple flat and angle aluminum.  These are a lot heavier that those provided with the kit but I feel much better about them and how they will holdup over time and use.  Note that the mount for the brake cylinder is a double bracket with a brass bushing.  I feel that this will prevent the eventual twisting and wearing out of the mounts.  They have a nice solid feel, are easy to work with those big shoes, and look good too.